There was a story a few weeks back about a Starbuck’s in St. Petersburg, Florida. At 7 AM, a woman bought her cup of coffee and then offered to pay for the customer behind her. For eleven hours, customers returned the favor, accepting their free order and agreeing to pay for the person behind them. 378 customers “paid it forward.”

When I travel, I often find myself listening to the news. For the past few weeks, the news has mainly centered around the horrific acts of ISIS, the conflict in Ukraine, and the devastation in Gaza. It’s easy to get down about the state of the world – to think that human kindness does not exist. I think that’s why the Starbuck’s in Florida became a national news story. We needed something to believe in. We needed hope.

I’ve never experienced a “pay it forward” moment. I’ve been blessed by the support of countless friends, relatives, and acquaintances. Over the course of the trip, I’ve been overwhelmed by how giving the people I encounter are, how willing they are to welcome me into their homes and allow me insight into their lives. But, these people aren’t true strangers. Even though I’ve never met most of them before, our meetings are planned and our commonalities are established.